Addicted
by Keilani the Skittle Queen
Summary: When Lily finally notices James, it turns out he has a girlfriend, and said girlfriend turns out to be her best friend. Now what? My first fic. LJ.
1. I Hate James Potter

_I hate James Potter._

Well, really, I do. Especially when I walk into the common room between classes to pick up some books and I find him snogging the life out of some girl, assumedly his new girlfriend in the middle of the girl's dormitory stairwell.

I coughed. James didn't even look up. Could he have found a _more_ inconvenient place? At that moment, the girl beneath James apparently decided she needed to breath. They both pulled away, panting. Gross.

I stared at James, one eyebrow raised and my free hand on my hip.

"Lily! Hi!" He rolled onto his back and propped himself up on the stairs with his elbows. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You're in my stairwell, Potter. Move, or I'll make you." I brandished my wand threateningly.

"Jeez, so hostile. Fine." James made a halfhearted attempt to move one of his legs over a tad. I was going to be completely late to Transfiguration. That's probably why James was here; he had professor McGonagall in his pocket. No need to come to class when you have the highest grade _and_ the praise of the teacher.

I walked up the last few steps to where James and the girl (whom I finally recognized as a Ravenclaw from Herbology. She wasn't even in our _house._) and kicked his shin. Hard. He grimaced in pain, holding his injured leg and curling up. I smirked and walked up the stairs to my dorm.

I had managed to find my books and ran downstairs through the portrait hole when the late bell rang, loud and piercing in the vast emptiness of the corridors. I cringed. Not only was I late, but late to my worst class. Today was going to be a long day.

Panting, I opened to door to Transfiguration a little less than 5 minutes after the bell rang. McGonagall's voice rang in my ears as I made my way to my seat, my face turning all shades of crimson.

"Ms. Evans, I do not appreciate tardiness. I expect punctuality from all my students. 5 points from Gryffindor." The professor continued on with her lesson, leaving me to wallow in my embarrassment and self pity. Why was I so easy to embarrass, anyways? I cringed at the thought of attention.

The Ravenclaw girl from Herbology was apparently in Transfiguration as well, and I wasn't surprised when I found her sitting with Potter. They were an item, then. Considering that every girl in the school, along with some of the boys, would beg to go out with him, I should have expected that. Leave it to James to fulfill the over clichéd fantasy of every Hogwarts student: snog your girlfriend senseless in the common room.

"Ms. Evans, perhaps tardiness can go unpunished, but if you continue to daydream in my class, I will be forced to take disciplinary action. Kindly wipe the smile of your face and pay attention."

I covered my mouth with both my hands and turned a similar color to the bright red textbook in front of me. I had been _smiling?_ While thinking about Ja— Potter? I was not having a good day. Maybe I was catching a cold, or some sort of dangerous, life threatening terminal illness. That would explain it. I struggled to pay attention through the rest of Transfiguration, my thoughts slipping back to Potter and my smile.

In the corridor on my way from supper that night, Potter ran up behind me.

"Lily! Do you wanna—"I cut him off.

"No, for the 64th time this year, I don't want to go out with you."

"C'mon Lils! Please?" He came around my left side, forcing me against the corridor wall, his hands on either side of my head. I was forced to look up at him at this distance, his being so tall. (No, I'm not short. I'm "petite.")

"James, you _have_ a _girlfriend._"

He looked at me strangely for a moment. "You called me… James?"

I gasped and realized I had. He was much too close; I couldn't think clearly. I could see every detail of his face, namely his deep, hazel eyes partially covered by his perfectly unruly black hair. He even _smelled_ good. I shook my head to clear it. "Yes, that's your name, isn't it?"

He still looked at me that way. I pushed him away and dove out under his arm toward the common room.

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**A/N: I hate Jennifer, better known as Spearbunny. With that said, don't forget to R&R. I'm going on vacation for the next few days and then school starts, but I'll get an update out soon, hopefully before I leave tomorow morning. P**


	2. Surprises and Prefect Duty

I just remembered the disclaimer, and I'm only posting it once. I figure the term FANFICTON is self-explanatory, but here you go.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anyone else you recognize. Tada.**

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**Chapter 2**

Once in the common room I sighed and slumped on one of the softer chairs in front of the fireplace.

Alex, my best friend, looked up from the chair next to me and raised her eyebrow. "What's wrong, Lils?"

"I hate it when you call me that. Nothing's wrong, just Potter being himself." I laughed inwardly, knowing exactly how Alex felt about James and knowing exactly the type of answer I was going to receive.

"What? You mean charming, sexy, amazingly confident and devastatingly handsome?" She grinned at me.

I looked over. "Yeah, that. You know, maybe you should go out with Potter. As much as I hate to admit it, he'd actually be an _improvement_ to the guys you usually date."

Alex turned red. "I haven't told you, have I?"

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Please, Alex, tell me he didn't ask you out…"

As if on command, James entered the common room and looked around.

"JAMES!" Alex screeched at him and jumped out of her chair. I looked over at them and gaped when I saw her jump him and proceed to snog at the enterance of the common room. I looked away and got up to walk to the dormitories before Potter decided to block the stairwell again.

The next morning I woke to find Alex and James snogging eachother senseless on the common room couch.

I clearned my throat, and Potter had the decency to look up this time. "You guys had better not make this a habit." Alex looked at me and shrugged before pulling James back down to her.

I shuddered and went to breakfast.

The day was uneventful until Transfiguration. James, for once lacking a girlfriend in his class (Alex had Divination during this period.) had taken to annoying me from his seat at the back of the room.

"_Pssst!_"

I blinked and looked behind me, toward the noise. Everyone was paying attention to McGonnagall, and a few people looked back at me strangely. I turned around and forgot about it.

A few minutes later, once McGonnagall had given the assignment, I heard the noise amidst the chatter. "_Pssst!"_

I looked back and glared at a table of unsuspecting boys and scared several of them to the brink of tears. Sighing, I turned my attention to the pumpkin that I was supposed to be transfiguring into a rabbit.

"_PSSST!"_

I turned around and I could swear I caught Potter smirking. The other Marauders were in a fit of laughter. I sighed and ignored Potter's antics for quite a while.

Utterly frustrated with my orange bunny, I had forgotten about Potter. Until a paper ball hit the back of my head, scaring my bunny nearly off the table. I grabbed it and pulled it over to me before opening the ball of parchment.

It read "_Psst!"_ in very messy, practically illegible Potter scrawl. For some reason it reminded me of little lightning bolts. I scratched out his note and wrote underneath it "Shut up, you annoying git."

Balling up the paper again, I checked to make sure McGonnagall was occupied before heaving it in Potter's direction. Apparently, I have decent aim, because it landed on his desk, rolling until it fell on his lap. I watched him as he opened it. He read it and laughed out loud.

That night I had Prefect duties patrolling the 4th floor corridor. Personally, I found Prefect duties pointless. I never found anyone, aside from the occasional lost first year or the Marauders wandering the halls. I was growing bored until I passed a broom closet with odd noises coming from inside and a dim light filtering through the bottom of the door. I cringed, knowing what I might find, and opened the door.

Lo and behold, James and Alex were in the closet. Thankfully, they were fully clothed, and they sprang apart like my nervous rabbit hopping away from my desk in Transfiguration.

"Guys… a broom closet, late at night? Isn't that a little clichéd? I don't know why, but it bothered me a lot more than it should've to see them in the closet together. To see James and someone else in a closet together.

Once over the initial shock, James straightened up and pulled Alex out of the closet with him. He cleared his throat and announced, "I guess we'll be going to bed, then."

"Ehm, no. Alex can go, because this is her first offense, but Potter, you stay here."

James grinned. "Okay."

"Shut up, Potter." I leaned against the corridor wall and watched Alex turn the corner , albeit after several nervous looks back at James.

"So, Lils, how can I help you?" He leaned on one shoulder next to me on the wall.

It took a lot not to slap him right there. Getting himself in trouble was fine, but getting someone else, namely my best friend, into it with him was crossing the line.

"Honestly, how did you think you could get away with it? A broom closet? Please. You have no business dragging other people into your messes with you, Potter."

Incredibly reminiscent of the day before, James put his hands on either side of my head, cornering me against the wall. "Lily, I don't think it's about that. I think you're jealous."

I glared at him. "Jealous of Alex? You must be out of your mind, Potter."

He grinned. "I think you're in denial, Lils. Why else would you not let me go?" He stepped closer. It was becoming incredibly difficult to form coherent thoughts at this point.

"You know why… I've caught you… more than once in the past… month." I finished that sentence off quite lamely, looking up at him, much like yesterday.

James did something that surprised me. He smiled. Not a smirk or that goofy grin he has, both of which make him seem arrogant and stupid. He looked at me and smiled a sincere, honest smile. And as much as I hate to admit it, my heart melted.

"Go out with me, Lily." He said it softly, but still a question.

"James, you're dating Alex. She's… my best friend. No." I think the bottom of my stomach was somewhere near China after the way he asked me. I don't think we could've been any closer than we were without touching. He leaned toward me closer. Apparently I'd been wrong.

"You called me James…" He smiled again. He was _gorgeous._

I don't know what it was, but something clicked at that moment and I realized quite suddenly that I was way too close to my best friend's boyfriend. And I was enjoying it… but still. I pushed his chest and ran to the girls dorms.

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**A/N: I know, I know, the ending was** **incredibly clichéd, but like Jennifer/Spearbunny, whom I still hate, put it, "that's so cliched... and cute.."**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! All 6 of you! (Except Spearbunny, because I hate her.) I'd reply to what you all said, but something's wrong with my reviews and I can't see them. All I have is Spearbunny's review.**

**If anyone knows what's wrong,and you wouldn't mind helping, I'd greatly appreciate it.**

**I'll get the next chapter up soon!**


	3. Humanity Loves Me

Yay! Chapter three!

For the record, my disclaimer's in chapter two. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3**

"… And then I pushed him away and ran." I finished, staring at Jennifer for her reaction. "Verdict?"

"My verdict is that you're completely and utterly pathetic." With this, I stole a piece of popcorn from her bowl and threw it at her hair. Jennifer, my closest friend aside from Alex, pulled the kernel out of her blond hair and finished the remnants of the popcorn in the bowl on her lap. We were alone in the common room, avoiding the dorms because Alex was asleep there. Jennifer conjured the popcorn for "comic relief," as she referred to it. She resituated herself and cleared her throat dramatically.

"You're pathetic for two reasons. First, let me say 'I told you so,' because I did. I knew all along you had a thing for James." She saw my look of horror, then added, "Not because it was obvious or anything. Relax. Aside from that, you're pathetic because all along he's been madly in love with you, given you 64 chances this year alone to go out with him―"

"65."

"… _65_ chances to go out with him and you said no every single time. Plus, all along you've acted like you hate him."

"I _do_ hate him! Kind of." In my defense, I _have_ been very confused on that topic. Is it possible to hate someone but love them at the same time?

"Right. We're going to bed. It's 2:13 in the morning. Granted, your story was worth waking up for." She yawned and parted for the dormitories, dragging me with her.

"Tomorrow will be _horrible…_"

I'm a negative person. I admit that. There is not one optimistic bone in my body. But when I said that today would be horrible, I was right. It was Saturday, and I spent it as far away from humanity as possible: on the grounds, under a nice oak tree, with a blanket and a very good book.

Leave it to humanity to come find me.

"Oy! Lily!" That was most definitely James' voice.

I closed my eyes and sighed, hiding my face in my book. It didn't help, but hey. I peeked over the cover of my novel to see that James was alone, Alex nowhere to be seen.

James sat next to me in the shade of the giant oak and casually slung an arm around my shoulders. I looked at him sideways. "Can I help you?"

He grinned. "Not really. I just wanted to ask you if you would―"

"Go out with you?"

"Please?"

"No, James. Remember Alex? Yeah, she's your _girlfriend._ Not me."

"Okay. 67th time's a charm." Even after I'd rejected him, he didn't seem intent on removing his arm from around my shoulders. I returned to my book, but not before subconsciously leaning into him a little.

Okay, so maybe my day wasn't turning out to be so bad. As much as I hated to admit it, this was quite nice. James had rested his head against mine, and he appeared to be reading over my shoulder. It was nice, spring weather and my book was _really_ good. We sat there together for a long time; much too long, considering he was my best friend's boyfriend. But at the moment, that didn't register.

Every time James shifted his position next to me, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy. After reading the same page of my book 4 or 5 times because my brain wasn't quite working being so close to James, I set it down and looked at him.

Big mistake. This close to James, I saw every detail of his face, identical to the first time he cornered me. I barely noticed him leaning toward me before I closed my eyes and did the same.

Inevitably, our lips met. If just being close to James made me lose coherent thought, at this point I'd forgotten my own name, much less that James had a girlfriend. Not breaking the kiss, James put his hands on my shoulders and turned me so my legs were thrown across his. I was leaning into him, one of my hands supporting me on the ground and the other on his neck, pulling him toward me. James tilted his head, deepening the kiss. I could swear we were the only two people on Earth at that moment.

Or so I thought, until I heard a gasp over my shoulder.

In one fluid movement, both James and me found ourselves completely separated, albeit surprised out of our minds, facing the source of the noise. Jennifer and Remus stared back at us, previously walking hand in hand around the lake.

Jennifer gawked openly, turning her signature shade of crimson. "Lily?"

Next to her, Remus was staring at them with a confused, surprised look on his face, silent.

Once I got over my initial shock, I responded in like. "Jennifer?" I gestured to her hand, held tightly by Remus'.

"Lily, Remus doesn't have a girlfriend and you didn't just find me making out under an oak tree." Jennifer had a point. I think I might be able to argue my point about today being horrible, now.

I bit my lip and looked back at James. He would've looked calm, if not for his frantic, wide eyes. I looked at Jennifer. "We need to talk."

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**A/N:** In a few hours time, I'll be headed for Sannibel, this tiny little island off the west coast of Florida, for three days. I might not be able to update until then. If I can get ahold of a wireless internet connection in the hotel, maybe I'll update before, but if not, I'll update by Saturday night.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter two!

**Paula:** Thank you! Here's your update. P

**I lOvE FrEd WeAsLeY**: I have a tendency to base my characters on people I know. My plot, at the moment, is actually an exagerated true story, so it might seem a little different from how you're used to seeing them. The characters will develop into their own people in the next few chapters as my fictional plot starts. D

**american nymphadora:** Again, here's your update. Thanks for reviewing!

**I'll see you all soon!**


	4. Realization

Yay! Chapter four! I'm on vacation and submitting this at almost 2am for you guys. You'd better like it.

Kidding. I wouldn't be going to sleep for a few hours ona normal day. ENJOY!

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**Chapter 4**

It was Saturday night, I was miserable, one of my best friends had just caught me kissing one of my worst enemies (whom I should mention has a girlfriend,) on the grounds, and I was waiting for her to come lecture me like I knew she would. In a sense, I almost looked forward to our conversation. It would, in one way or another, hopefully make me feel better about the whole incident.

I was curled up in one of the corners of the common room couches with my book, not really reading. Staring at the fireplace, my head on my knees, what I had done started to sink in. I yawned and waited, forcing myself to stay awake.

James came down from the boys' dormitories, surprising me. It was late, and I assumed everyone was asleep by this time. For all I knew, even Jennifer may have been asleep. He smiled when he saw me and came over to the arm of the sofa, crossing his arms over the edge and looking up at me.

"Hey, Lily." He smiled again. We all know the effect that has on me by now.

"Hi, James." Mimicking him, I grinned broadly and asked, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

He didn't answer, just leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. Then, just like this afternoon, my hands found their way around his neck and his to my shoulders, pulling ourselves closer to one another, deepening the kiss. At some point, he had climbed onto the couch, therefore ending up on top of me, his weight resting on his elbows. He pulled away briefly, met my eyes, and spoke.

"Lily," He breathed.

"LILY!" Okay, that most definitely wasn't James. I snapped my eyes open to see Jennifer standing over me, giving me a look that said "You were asleep and I know exactly what you were dreaming about, and because you were I'm going to make this lecture that much more unpleasant," all at once.

She sat down. "Speak."

I looked at her with the most innocent face I could muster. "About?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"You kissed him."

"Ah." I grabbed one of the throw pillows I had moved to the floor when I sat down and proceeded to hide behind it, turning scarlet.

"Lily, now, before I bring out the truth serum." She glared.

Jennifer had an incredibly predictable method of persuasion. First came the threats, hence the truth serum thing. I still cowered behind my pillow. Next should be…

"Think about it: if you don't answer me, you won't ever get anything settled with James, _or_ Alex." There it was. The rationalized pity statement. Now she'd try to bribe me.

"I'll tell you about me and Remus."

OOH. That was a really good bribe. My face was still the color of the burgundy Gryffindor carpets, and I chose not to come out from behind my pillow fortress.

I peeked over the edge of the pillow. "Fine, but you first." I wasn't even sure if she understood me, because my voice was muffled by the pillow.

She sighed. "I was in the library," I snorted. This was not unusual. She ignored me and continued. "Doing my homework, and Remus sat down next to me. I helped him with his divination and he helped me in transfiguration, and afterwards we went for a walk… around the lake, during the sunset."

I did my best to stop myself from falling off the couch in a fit of laughter. "That's the corniest thing I've _ever_ heard."

She threw her throw pillow at me. It hit me on the head, and I stopped laughing. "Shut up. It's cute. Anyways, he asked me out, and I said yes, and then we found you."

"That's so cheesy."

"Shut up, it's your turn."

God. My turn. I had no idea what I was going to tell her… I don't think I really knew myself. Really, all he had to do was smile and I was rendered incoherent. It wasn't my fault. And technically, _he_ kissed _me._

"I DON'T KNOW!" I yelled and then covered my mouth with both hands. I hadn't really thought that one through all the way, had I?

"… What?" Jennifer looked at me like I was mentally incompetent. I was starting to think I was.

"I… I don't know why I kissed him." My face changed colors again, and I saw fit to hide behind my pillow for a while.

"Yes you do, you idiot." She glared at me like the whole thing was obvious. "You love him."

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**A/N:** Well, this has taken a while to post. I'm using the internet from the management office in my hotel, which is right under me. Needless to say, it's not the fastest nor the most reliable in the world. I'd reply to everone's reviews if not for my fear of my parents waking up... but I appreciate the reviews a huge ton. Thank you!

I'll update ASAP. R&R!


	5. Loooove

I'm incredibly sorry this update took so long. I got back from vacation the day before school started, and updating has been impossible since then. I hope this chapter's good enough to make up for that. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 5**

I stayed in bed that Sunday morning, staring at the canopy of my bed, laying flat on my back, totally unwilling to move.

"I'm not getting up. You can't make me."

"Lily, you know very well that I could easily make you. Don't tempt me." I heard Jennifer's footfalls around the dormitory as she dressed for breakfast.

"I'm not coming out."

Jennifer's footsteps neared my bed and stopped. She tore my curtains away from my bed in one swift movement, leaving the blinding sunlight to sear my eyes. I groaned. "I hate you."

"I hate you too. Get up."

"I'll have to face James today…" My voice had a resigned tone to it. At that moment, Alex decided to walk out of the bathroom.

"What'd he do to you now, Lils?" She was wrapping a towel around her wet hair and thankfully missed my newly acquired blush and Jennifer's awkward coughing noise. "I know he's my boyfriend and all, but that boy can be impossible sometimes."

I tried to play it off. Obviously, Alex was oblivious to the fact that James flirted around behind her back. Or, more specifically, he flirted with _me_ behind her back. He _kissed me_ behind her back. I shrugged. "Nothing really. He just wouldn't leave me alone yesterday."

Alex laughed, completely unaware, and disappeared back into the bathroom. I looked at Jennifer, who's blushing problem was more severe than mine. It happened whenever she was angry, when she laughed, cried, and most severely, when she was embarrassed or had a secret. She was turned away, hiding her flushed face by facing a pile of wrinkled school robes and faking a sneeze.

Alex's toweled head peeked out of the bathroom. "You know, I think I love that boy…" She smiled and closed the door, humming. Jennifer and I shared a brief glance.

I sighed, got up and threw on my clothes before heading downstairs.

"Lily!" Leave it to James to appear from no where less than 10 seconds after I come down the girls dormitory staircase. Okay, maybe he didn't come out of no where. He was with the Marauder's in front of the fireplace. But still.

I really hadn't put much thought into how this confrontation would go. I had dreaded it, but at this point I was stuck improvising. "Hi, James."

"You know, that has a really nice ring to it. 'Hi, James,'" He mimicked me, bobbing over my shoulder as I made my way to the portrait hole. I went outside, and he followed me.

I sighed and turned to face him. "I can always go back to calling you Potter, if you'd like." I raised an eyebrow in a threatening way.

"You wouldn't do that. And you know why not?" He grinned widely. I waited for him to answer his own question. "Because you looooooove me." He smirked, his eyes bright with mischief. His eyes are so amazing…

No they're not. My God, I'm in _way_ too deep. "And why would you think that?" That's smart Lily, give fuel to the fire.

"Because yesterday you kiss—" I leaped at him and covered his mouth with my hand as a group of first years climbed the staircase near us.

"_Not here!"_ I grabbed his arm and pulled him down the stairs, into a corridor, past several snoring portraits, up a ladder, down another corridor, and into a broom closet. You know, I might have thought of a better place to hold this conversation. Why, you ask?

"Lily, a broom closet? Wow. Kinky."

I hit him in the arm. "You pervert." Perverted as it was, I couldn't help but giggle. Why does James have that effect on me? It's not fair. I don't _giggle,_ and much less at a joke someone by the likes of James makes. Or do I?

"I try. So why exactly are we in here, Lils?" I'm not sure who invented the broom closet, but whoever did made them uncomfortably small. Especially for two people, one of which couldn't process thoughts at too close a distance to the other.

"Oh, right. About yesterday. That can't happen again, James. Alex, she…" James stepped closer. My train of thought flew off it's tracks. So much for that.

"She what?" He was grinning, looking down at me. He _enjoys_ doing this to me. Go figure.

"I…" I gave up. Coherent thought abandoned me. He was so close that I had to turn my head up to see his face. I took a step back and stepped into the wall. "James, we…"

He stepped forward, smiled that rare, genuine smile and whispered, "_You loooove me,"_ before lowering his lips to my own.

I'm such an idiot. Why a broom closet? I couldn't help but kiss him back as his hands pressed my shoulders against the wall, holding me there. I felt a smile on his lips. And as opposed to a few days before hand, my mind was unable to make the distinction about whether I hated or loved that about him. His hands wandered to my waist and lifted me, not breaking the kiss, and my arms snaked around his neck in an effort to keep him close. He pressed me against the wall, holding me between the wall and his body, and moved his hands to my face to deepen the kiss.

And then, inevitably, the moment ended when someone banged on the door. James seemed set on ignoring the interruption, and I followed suit, but at the turning of the knob, I gasped and pushed him away.

Frantically, I motioned at the door, waving my hands in a vague motion that was supposed to mean "is it locked?"

James nodded and looked around, pointing to a large box in the corner and pulling me toward it. He hid me inside the box and closed it just as the person outside the door muttered "Alohamora!" and the door clicked open.

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**A/N: Muahaha! The suspense! Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 4!**

**Spearbunny:** I hate you. And Remus is the closest thing to a John, so stop complaining before I make your character commit character suicide. D

**Paul:** I appreciate that. I said the same thing, but Jennifer/Spearbunny here has a problem with any fic that's not Lily/James.

**EastCoastHPgrl:** I hope that means you liked it. XD

**I lOvE FrEd WeAsLeY** Viola.

**FairiesandDragons911** I hope this is soon enough.

Again, I'm sorry for the wait! Stay tuned for next chapter, and don't forget to R&R!


	6. The Closet

YAY FOR HURRICANES! I haven't had school for the past two days because of "Tropical Storm Ernesto," which turned out to be what the meteorologists refer to as a "dud." That's why I've been able to update twice. I'll try to keep up this pace, but while school's on it won't be easy. _

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__My God, it's dark in here._

I'm serious. Being in a cardboard box while your best friend's boyfriend tries to play off the fact that you two were in a broom closet snogging while someone knocked at the door is actually quite unnerving. I pressed my ear to the wall of the box and listened.

I heard the door fly open and slam against the wall. Ouch. I hope James got out of the way.

"Where is she?" My God, that's Jennifer's voice. Go figure.

"Who?" James' tone sounded fake even to me.

I heard a third person walk into the closet. "James, this has to stop." Figures. Where there's a Jennifer, there's always a Remus.

"You, stay right there." Jennifer again, I assume telling James to stay put. I heard footsteps around the closet.

I could practically _see_ the box in front of me burning with Jennifer's glare as she zeroed in on it. The box moved, and then I saw light again.

"Hi, Jennifer. Remus." I waved, turning all colors of crimson. I probably looked horrible, my hair a mess, my face quite obviously suggesting a previous snogging engagement.

"James, out. Remus, take him with you, please." Remus nodded and followed a sulking James out the door.

Jennifer watched the two of them leave and then sat down on an upturned bucket. I followed suit.

"When's the wedding?" She asked, grinning broadly.

I threw my bucket at her head. Now bucketless, I resorted to sitting on the floor cross-legged. "I hate you almost as much as I hate him."

Jennifer smirked wider. "Does that mean you love me, too? Because I know for a fact you don't hate him. You loooove him."

My hands curled into fists and my eye twitched in restrained anger. "WILL PEOPLE _PLEASE_ STOP SAYING THAT!" With a sigh, my anger left as quickly as it had come, and my head dropped into my hands.

Voice muffled by my hands, I muttered, "I can't love him. Alex loves him…" Don't cry. Don't you _dare_ cry. Lily Evans doesn't cry. Then again, Lily Evans doesn't giggle either, but James can make me.

I felt the tears start falling and I wiped my face with my hands. "Sorry."

Jennifer just looked at me. "You really do love him, don't you?"

I half-smiled. "I don't know."

The door creaked open slowly, and I saw Remus peek around the corner. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we'll miss breakfast."

I wiped my face one last time and got up. "Sure. We'll be right there."

The day progressed, for lack of a better word, abysmally. If I saw either James or Alex in the halls or the common room, my stomach churned with a guilt that nearly made me sick. I avoided James as much as humanly possible, but that was made difficult as he ate breakfast at my same table, spent time in my same common room, and by some act of God, wandered the same halls I did.

I also noticed, having nothing better to do than think on a Sunday, that Alex really wasn't as great a friend as I'd thought. We really had nothing in common, and the only topic she was really interested in was my social life. During our conversations, she supplied the small talk, and I had always gotten away with nodding and the occasional "yeah." She spilled her biggest secrets to me, but then, she did with plenty of other people, too. I made it a point to avoid her as well.

Later on that night, sitting in front of the common room fire, I saw Alex come into the common room and spot James sitting at a table with the Marauders. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"JAMES!" She tackled him in his chair, and the resulting position was Alex's legs straddling James' waist, Alex already plastering his face with kisses. The Marauders all groaned and looked away, clearly disgusted. For a split second, Remus' eyes flicked toward mine, giving me a stern glare before he looked away.

Trying very hard to keep the grimace out of my features, I stood up and quickly walked toward the girl's dormitory. _It's not Alex's fault. It's not Alex's fault._ I threw one quick glance over my shoulder before climbing the stairs to see James' pleading eyes staring back.

Upstairs, Jennifer was reading by wandlight in her bed. She glanced up when I came inside, put down her book, and relocated to my bed. I flopped down into my sheets face first and stayed there.

Speaking to the back of my head, Jennifer asked, "What happened?"

"_Mrrf hmmf hmm."_

Jennifer pulled my head up by my ponytail. "What?"

"Ow." I rolled over and stared at the ceiling, rubbing the back of my head. "I said, I hate him."

She sighed. "What now?"

"How can he date Alex and still find me and—"

"Lily, I do _not_ want to know the intimate details of what took place in that closet. Please, spare me." She removed the hand that she had so violently stuck to my mouth and allowed me to continue.

I sighed. "It's just not fair. If he 'loves' me, why can't he break up with Alex first?"

"Alex thinks she loves him, Lily. Remember what happened with ­­­­­­­­­­­John?" She had a point. Alex had the habit of falling too fast, and always for the wrong person. John had been her last boyfriend, and when he broke it off with her, she'd been seriously depressed for nearly a year.

"You're right…" I pulled a pillow towards me, curled up on top of my bed, and fell asleep in minutes.

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**A/N:** Okay, so here's another update. I'll try to update by the weekend. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 5!

**Amenti:** This is as soon as you can hope for. I hope you like it.

**Spearbunny:** FINE, here you go. -clears throat-

**"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my duty to inform you that my esteemed writing partner, Jennifer/Spearbunny, is the catalyst of all of my ideas. I'd also like to add that she writes her own fic, which you can find by looking at my favorites, or searching "Life as we Know it". Thank you."**

**Katerina:** Odd, isn't it? I'd never write a romance. Yet here you go. And you WILL give me my E string or I'll keep your game. Who has leverage NOW?


	7. Late Night Meetings

My GOD the fluff I stuck in this chapter. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 7**

It was just like that day underneath the giant oak, minus the book, all interruptions, and my own stubbornness that day.

My hair ruffled slightly in the breeze and I snuggled closer to James' chest. His arms were wrapped around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. He was idly whistling some random tune with his head resting against the oak, and my eyes were closed, leaning my head against his chest. I smiled, opening my eyes to look over the lake, it's surface still as glass. Everything was perfect.

"Lily," I heard James whisper. I looked up at him.

"_Lily!_" He whispered louder this time, more urgently. And it sounded farther away.

"OW!" I sat up in bed and rubbed my nose where something had hit me. Looking down, I saw the offending projectile: an acorn, rolling across my lap.

"Psst!" James was at my window, gesturing for me to follow him. Slightly bewildered and ready to rant about how late it was, I grabbed a sweater from the corner of my room, threw it on over my nightgown, and joined James on the balcony outside my window.

"James, are you out of your—"

"Shh." He silenced the beginnings of my outburst with a finger to my lips. "You don't want Alex to wake up, do you?"

I dealt with making irritated facial expressions for the time being. I'd fume later. Whispering in like, I asked, "What are we doing?"

He grinned and held up his broom. "We're going flying."

Without another word, he straddled his hovering broom and gestured for me to join. I couldn't help but smile while I sat down in front of him.

My stomach lurched when we left the ground, but soon ceased as we cruised slowly over the grounds. I leaned into his chest and sighed contentedly, and he placed his hands over mine on the front of the broom. He lowered the broom to the point where we sailed over the lake, my bare toes leaving a trail of ripples in the surface. All my prior intentions of ranting at James were forgotten as we came to a stop under the oak tree that had been the center of my dreams for the past few nights. It was so, so pathetically perfect.

James hopped off the broom and extended a hand to help me down.

"How gentlemanly of you, James." Good to see that my sarcasm hadn't deserted me in my close proximity to him.

He grinned and bowed. "Thank you, madam." I punched his shoulder, smiling.

James wrapped an arm around my shoulder and spun me to face the moon. It was just the barest crescent, casting a perfect reflection in the still water of the lake. I wasn't lying when I looked at him and said, "It's beautiful, James."

I could tell he was resisting the urge to reply with something along the lines of, "Not as beautiful as you, Lily," his face contorted with the effort. That made me smile, too.

A cold wind rippled our clothes and I shivered in his arms.

"We should head back." He brought his broom to a hover at waist level, and we returned to the balcony together.

James picked me up off the broom and didn't set me down on the floor of the balcony. Instead he looked at me and pressed one soft kiss to my lips. "Goodnight, Lily." He put me down and left me speechless on the balcony, my fingers touching my lips, dazed.

"Lily?" Alex's drowsy voice came from the French doors that led outside. "Is that you?"

I jumped at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, it's me, Al. Sorry I woke you."

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What are you doing out here?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but had to think for a second. She had me there. There was the "I just cruised the grounds on your boyfriend's broom and you nearly walked in on him kissing me goodnight," response, or the "I couldn't sleep," response. I opted for the latter.

"I had a dream and it woke me up, and I couldn't get back to sleep." That wasn't a lie. James, my dream, woke me up. And there was no way I'd be able to sleep. I faked drowsiness and walked inside. Alex followed.

I lay in my bed once we were inside, but Alex, instead of returning to her own four-poster, sat on the edge of mine. She toyed with a loose thread on my quilt.

"James has been… weird lately." She looked down as she said this.

I thanked God for the nearly non-existent moonlight that kept my blush hidden. "How?"

She looked up at me now. "He flirts with other girls… and talks about them. To me."

Okay, I was in trouble now. I wasn't sure how much Alex knew; she might have used the phrase "other girls" to allow my own interpretation, or James might be doing the sort of things that happened with me accidentally to other girls on purpose. As much as I hated to admit it, the latter scared me much more than the former.

"We both know I don't have much experience on the topic of dating, Al." I shrugged, not sure whether she could see it in the limited lighting.

"I'm tired, Lily. I'm going to bed." Her voice was flat, emotionless as she stood up and walked to her bed.

I didn't sleep that night.

To say that I seemed tired the next morning would be an understatement. I was zombie-like in my actions, unresponsive during conversation, and unable to form coherent thoughts. That made it all the more simple for Remus to corner me on the way to Charms.

"Lily." He appeared from no where in my conscious field of vision, which, granted, wasn't very large. "We need to talk."

I didn't respond in words, but complied when he held onto my shoulder and steered me into an emptier corridor.

I looked up at him and blinked, exhausted and quite confused.

"I'm not an idiot, Lily. I've never seen James the way he's been acting before, and I know your hiding something. Speak." He watched me calmly, waiting for me to respond.

"I… We…" Quite obviously, my half-truths and fibs weren't going to get me through an interrogation in this state. I blinked and shook my head quickly, and then looked up at him.

I sighed. "James and I have… we've had some _accidental situations_ during his relationship with Alex." I think a baboon could've worded it better.

"'Accidental situations?'" He raised an eyebrow.

"We… ehm. We kissed. And it was totally accidental." I will most definitely not tell him about last night. No way.

"I figured as much. Has anything happened more recently? Today James has been…," I could see him struggle to find the words. He made a vague gesture signaling his surrender, and waited for me to respond.

I wouldn't tell him. "No." I felt the blush creep up my neck. What a perfect time for my pigment disorder to kick in. "I have to go." I pushed past Remus and ran all the way to Charms, praying to turn my natural color some time soon.

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A/N: Wow. A large majority of that was more fluff than I thought I could ever muster. R&R, and thanks to my chapter 6 reviewers!

Spearbunny: I'm not even going to reply to your ranting anymore. He is and you know it. Get over it, McPhipps. XD

american nymphadora: Thank you. I hope you don't mind this overly-fluffed chapter.

Amenti: Thanks again, and I appreciate your reviews. :D


	8. Every End is a New Beginning

Yay! New chapter! Sorry for the long wait. I won't bother giving you my excuses. (-cough- School, homework, busy, school, busy, homework, busy, blah blah blah...)

I hope you like it!

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**Chapter 8**

I'd successfully avoided Remus, Jennifer, James, and Alex all through our last class and dinner. Not as easy as it sounds, considering that all four of the above sit at my table. Now on my way back to the common room, I had nothing on my mind aside from how amazing it would feel to lay my head on my pillow and shut my eyes for the first time in nearly 48 hours.

After whispering the password to the fat lady and scoping the room for Jennifer, Alex, or any of the Marauders, I climbed through the portrait hole and walked quickly toward the dorm staircases.

"Lily," James' voice, soon followed by his body, loomed out of the darkness at the top of the stairs.

Instinctively, though I really, really did want to ignore him, I turned. "Yes?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Have you seen Alex?"

"…Is that a serious question? I assume you'd know that me and Alex aren't on the best of terms lately." I was whispering now, out of fear that someone would overhear. "She's probably sleeping, in any case. Why?"

James hesitated and slicked his hair back again. "I've… been thinking about me and Alex." He saw my disbelieving look at this sudden realization of his and my assumption that it had taken him _this long_ to think of it, and quickly added, "For a while, actually. I've just been afraid to end it because I know how she gets. And because the girl I've been after for years just now realized I existed." He smiled, and I noticed how close he was. I had to look up at him at this distance, but I didn't step back.

"I've always known you existed. I just thought I hated you beyond all reason… until now." In truth, he had changed. I smiled in spite of myself.

"Ah, so I've changed?" He was grinning broadly now.

"Yes. From the arrogant, pigheaded, arrogant prat you were before."

"You said arrogant twice."

"Yep." If I could make him believe that my speech patterns were the result of his extreme cockiness over the past few years and not his close proximity to me, then great.

James took a subconscious step forward and grinned wider. "So does that mean that you looove me?"

"Maybe," And because I lack all self-control, am a horrible person with no moral values and probably do "looove" him, I stood on my tiptoes and closed the small space between us with a kiss.

James kissed me back, pushing me against the wall of the hallway and tangling his hands in my hair. And just because his hair is so soft and long and _perfect,_ I returned the favor. My hands wound their way around his shoulders to the back of his head and his snaked around my waist, and he used the leverage to move me from the wall toward the girls' dormitory. We stumbled in the dark, James opening the door without ever breaking the kiss.

We hadn't so much as moved through the doorway before we heard a gasp.

Lying on one of the beds, curtains drawn, were Alex and Sirius, previously engaged in a serious snogging session. Sirius lie on the bed, gaping at the two of us, with Alex straddling his legs, her lips red and hair wild, staring in like.

I untangled myself from James just as he caught on to the situation.

James, obviously surprised, yelled "Alex!" just as she gasped "James!" I hid myself behind James' shoulders, my face turning its predictable shade of crimson.

Alex turned her attention to me. "You _slut!"_

Disbelieving, I came out from behind James and gestured toward Sirius. "Hypocrite!" Sirius was still shocked, looking from me to James to Alex and back to me repeatedly.

"Hey, that's not right! 5 points from Gryffindor for being mean, Alex." Alex made a rude hand gesture toward James. "5 more!"

"James, enough. Alex, if you don't mind getting off Sirius now?" I raised an eyebrow, staring at them.

Alex looked at me with a glare that would kill a lesser hothead than myself and complied. Sirius, glad to be released, hopped to the edge of the bed and looked hopefully at the door. Seeing us in front of it, he thought better of making a break for it and started picking at a loose thread on the knee of his jeans.

James looked at Alex, back to me, and sighed. "Listen, Alex… I don't think we should do this anymore."

Somehow, she managed to look innocently confused at James' statement while still glaring coldly at me. "This?" She asked in an amazingly clueless tone. Maybe she's bipolar…

Incredibly quickly, she turned to me. "Lily, I can't _believe you._ You were my _best friend._" She said that with more venom in her voice than even _I_ could manage. Yep, definitely bipolar. And yep, I deserved that.

"Alex, listen, we really can't keep this up…" James' tone was unsure and hesitant. After seeing her glare, I understand why…

She ignored him. "I _trusted_ you with everything. All my secrets. You knew them all." Still glaring, still cold as ice. I stayed silent.

"Listen, Al." I was at the point of telling him to shut up. She wasn't paying attention, obviously.

Again, no reaction. She opted to glare at me coldly continuously.

"I think we should rethink our relationship, Al." James continued, quite pointlessly.

In an especially cold bout of anger, she crossed the room in four strides, swung back her hand, and slapped me. "You _whore."_

I gasped in surprised, covered my face with my hand in pain, and launched myself at her, all within a split second. James grabbed me by the shoulders and held me back before I could land my first punch, leaving my arms flailing helplessly. Sirius had apparently decided to be useful and done the same to Alex, who was at the moment looking quite vengeful.

James drew himself up to his full height, looked at Alex coldly, and said in a firm tone, "Alex, it's over." With that, he grabbed me by the shoulders, lifted me, and dragged me out of the room kicking and screaming (Without so much of the screaming.).

With an arm around my shoulders and a firm hand over my mouth, James led me toward his dorm.

"Can I trust you to go back there and not beat the living potatoes out of her?" He kept his hand over my mouth.

I nodded vigorously, vengeful fire in my eyes.

"… I thought so. You're sleeping here tonight." He looked down the stairs to make sure no one was watching, and pulled me into the boys' dorm.

He uncovered my hands and let me go. "Either we share a bed, or Sirius sleeps on the floor," He whispered, not wanting Remus or Peter to wake up and find _me,_ of all people, in his dorm room.

"Tough decision. Sharing a bed with James, or causing Sirius discomfort…" I pretended to think about it, then grinned and flopped onto his bed. Quietly, of course.

He came over and lay down next to me, slinging one arm around my shoulder.

I looked over at him. "You know, I can always wait until you fall asleep to go kill Alex. It'll be easier to hex her into oblivion while she's sleeping, anyway."

He laughed silently. "I guess I'll have to keep you here, then." He sat up and pulled off his shirt, staying in the sweats he wore, and looked at me apologetically. "I don't think I have any sort of pajamas in your size… If you want to sleep naked, I understand." He grinned mischievously.

I pushed him and laughed before hopping off the bed. "Where do you keep your t-shirts?" I rummaged through his drawers, opening the first to find his boxers. I closed it quickly. "Apparently, not there."

He laughed. "Third drawer to the right."

I opened the drawer, grabbed a t-shirt, and disappeared into the dorm bathroom.

When I came out, I was surprised to find James reading by wandlight. He looked up at me when I closed the bathroom door, and smiled, putting down the book and muttering a quick "Nox," before looking back up at me, raising an eyebrow.

His t-shirt fell to my mid-thigh. "Quite staring and make room." I lay down again and looked at him, gesturing toward the book on his lap. "You read?"

"Usually." He put the book and wand on his night table and turned to me. "But tonight I had something else in mind."

I raised my palms skyward, shrugging innocently. "Hey, _I_ planned on sleeping. I don't know what _you_ had in mind…"

"Oh, nothing." He shrugged in return and pulled me close, his arm around my waist. "_I'm_ going to sleep." He kissed me softly, once, and pull the blanket over us.

I sighed and closed my eyes, sleeping more peacefully than I had in a long time in James' arms.

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**A/N:** Cliche, again. But hey, everyone loves them. That's why they're so cliche. Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 7, and remember to R&R chapter eight!

**PS:** Update coming soon. I can't help myself.


	9. Fin

Yes, this is the last chapter. And in all honesty, I know that apologizing for a "long wait" doesn't even begin to cover it. It's been months. But you know how sometimes you start a story and it just loses steam as you go on? Yeah. That happened with this one.

None the less, I hope you enjoy the last chapter. I like it. :D

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The sun woke me up the next morning, shining in rays through the window pane. I stretched and blinked my eyes, then remembered where I was and smiled, snuggling closer to James' warm bare chest. He stirred slightly and curled his arms around me without waking up, and I surrendered to sleep again.

_Tuesday. Classes._ My head snapped up. "James. Get up." I poked him in the chest. He groaned and rolled over, taking me with him.

"Whoa! James, get up _now._" Now squashed beneath his body into the mattress, my poking had stopped. So had my breathing. "_James!"_ I managed to squeak that out before he sighed and rolled over again, holding me around the waist.

"G'morning…" He sighed sleepily.

"James, get up. We're late for class." It was beyond tempting to fall asleep again.

"… Class?" That's great. I had an incoherent James on my hands and I was already severely late for Transfiguration.

"Yes. Get _up_." I grabbed his hands and pulled him to a sitting position. He blinked and looked at me cross-eyed. I sighed. "Are you usually this hard to wake up?"

He yawned and fell backward.

"… Fine." I got off the bed and put on my clothes from yesterday and my robes, finger-brushed my hair and pulled it into a ponytail, and scavenged for a toothbrush before thinking better of it.

Coming out of the bathroom, I saw James still asleep on the bed. I sighed and ran into my dorm to find a toothbrush.

Three minutes later I came back in to find James flopped over and at the foot of the bed, snoring. I rolled my eyes.

"James, get up. _Now."_ He mumbled a reply and rolled onto his back. I sighed, walked over to him, and kissed him, hard.

His reply was to pull me on top of him and kiss me back just as intensely.

After a few moments I pushed him away. Sarcastically, I said, "Well, that was easy," and pulled him up with me. "We're late to class. If you don't get ready within the five minutes it takes me to get my books and get into the common room, I'm leaving to Transfiguration without you."

He grinned, saluted at me, and fell backward onto the mattress, snoring within seconds. I sighed and left.

Exactly five minutes later, James was sitting on the common room couch, dressed, glasses and all, ready to leave. I rolled my eyes and laughed, and we left to Transfiguration.

I was not unduly surprised to see Alex sitting with Sirius, but I was utterly stunned when she came to James' and my table just as the bell rang for lunch.

"… Hi, Lily." She sat on the edge of the table, tracing the grain of the wood with a finger. "Can we talk?"

I looked at James, whose eyes were flitting back and forth between the two of us nervously. He seemed nervous that we'd rip each other apart in front of his very eyes. I wonder what gave him _that_ suspicion. I nodded, and he gave me one worried look before leaving the room.

Having known Alex for 6 years, I knew this was going to be difficult. Both of us were bad tempered, stubborn as mules, and intensely resentful, even if that was the extent of our similarities. I cleared my throat. "Listen. About last night…" I trailed off, unwilling to be the first to apologize. She _had_ insulted me. And slapped me. I hadn't laid a hand on her, even though I would've if James hadn't been holding me in his iron grip.

She looked up from the desk and smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "That was odd, huh?"

"Yep." That uncomfortable silence settled over us again.

After a few moments, we both opened our mouths to speak at the same time, and then both thought better of it.

As if on command, we both muttered under our breath, "Sorry," before looking back down at the table. I couldn't help it; I started laughing.

Alex cracked a grin and then joined in. The whole situation was so ridiculous that it didn't even matter anymore. She had Sirius, I had James, and we were all happier than we were before.

…Except Sirius, apparently. Later that night, in the common room, Alex made the horrible mistake of trying to get him to read.

"NO! I won't DO it! GET IT AWAY!" Sirius was curled into the fetal position an armchair, Alex in front of him, wagging a book quite near his face, and laughing. He rocked back and forth, hugging himself and yelling, "NO!" in a strangled voice.

James and I looked up from our position on the couch and laughed. I looked back down to my own book, attempting quite unproductively to concentrate as James readjusted his head resting on the pillow on my lap, returning to his previous activity of gently tugging the ends of my hair.

After a while, I gave up on my book and sighed, closing it and placing it on the cushion next to me. James took this as an invitation to sit up and put his arm around me. I smiled and leaned into his shoulder.

"… Maybe we should help him." James' voice sounded amused rather than concerned.

I looked over at the cowering form of Sirius and laughed. "I think Alex is enjoying herself. And besides, if anyone will _ever_ get that boy to read, it'll be her." I looked up and glowered at him falsely. "Though I can't say the same about you. You're the worst distraction I've ever met."

He smiled that heart-wrenching, dazzling smile that he seemed to use so often now. "Oh, please. Don't act like you're not grateful."

"I rather enjoy my reading, thank you."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can think of better things to do with our time."

I poked him in the chest, not really as irritated as I should be, and tilted my head upward to meet his lips.

**Fin.**


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